Page 40 of Cups of You

Randy gave her a look. “Geez babe, tell us how you really feel.”

She glared at him. “I just did.”

Benjamin was wise enough to say nothing. There was nothing scarier than a woman who watched hours of ID Discovery and had the chemistry degree to probably get away with whatever she planned.

“As I was saying. You should probably start small. Memorize her favorite drink. Offer her something you don’t offer anyone else. Make her feel special without it screaming ‘Love me please.’”

Benjamin nodded. He could do this. He had been doing that, gifting Amber little treats here and there just to try to draw out a smile. And a couple times it had worked. Seeing her pleased expression as she bit into a muffin was one of the simplest pleasures in life.

Despite her initially telling him she didn’t have a favorite, he now knew she did. Banana nut was enough to get a nod of acknowledgement, but blueberry was enough to draw out a smile and a hum of enjoyment. He had renamed them ‘Blueberry Bliss’ on the menu board just from her reaction alone.

It was that thought that made him reach for the confidence he’d lost years ago. Sure, it had been a while since he tried to date someone or gauge their interest in him, but he was smart. He could totally figure this out. Dating in your late thirties didn’t have to be scary. It was just like riding a bicycle.

Right?

“I can’t do this.”

He put his head in his hands. Who was he kidding? He didn’t even manage to do this with his ex-wife. It was her who had pursued him.

“Yes, you can,” Randy replied. “Dude, it should be even easier now. You’re older and wiser. You know what you want and what you don’t want.”

“And you know that life will go on even if nothing, but a friendship comes of this,” Sam added. “How about this, invite her over for dinner. From the grapevine it seems like she mostly holes up in the house so I’m sure she would be happy to get out and maybe socialize a little.”

“Right. That sounds doable.” Benjamin could do that. Amber had already invited him to Jackie’s place so this would just be like the next step from that. “You guys have to be here though.”

“What? Why?”

Randy waved a hand at Sam. “No, he’s right. We should totally be here so we can watch them together. He’s too whipped already to look at her with anything other than hearts in his eyes.” He looked over at her. “If we’re here, we can watch them and see how she responds to him.”

Sam hummed. “You know what, that is actually a smart idea.”

“I don’t know why you seem so surprised.”

“Okay,” Sam said ignoring Randy’s comment. Benjamin smiled when his friend pouted. “Invite her over for dinner Friday night. Olivia was going to ask you to stay over Constance’s house for the night anyway so that would be the perfect time to have adult time.”

Benjamin thought about it. He would feel much more confident with Randy and Sam there to buffer.

“Olivia had mentioned something about a sleepover so that’s fine. Amber has already met her, but I don’t want to overwhelm either of them with this. I know Olivia says she wants me to date but I can’t help but think about how quickly her mom jumped into it. She had a really tough time coping and I don’t want to do that to her again.”

“Oh sweetie, you won’t.” Sam shook her head. “The fact that you’re even worried about that is a good sign. If things get serious like we both hope they do for you, then talk to her. Sit her down and really discuss things.”

“Right,” Benjamin agreed. He rubbed his hands on his thighs trying to shake out the nervous energy. “Now the only thing left is to get in touch with Amber somehow.”

“What do you mean somehow?”

He gave a sheepish grin. “I never got her number.”

Sam sighed. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

THIRTEEN

Amber stared down at her cell phone. The number staring back at her was unfamiliar and she wasn’t sure if she should even respond. Before she could decide, the phone stopped buzzing going dark. She knew it wasn’t Willie. They had exchanged numbers before she had left the bookstore. There wasn’t anyone else she could think of unless…

The phone lit up again, this time with a text message.

‘Hey Amber. Sorry, I should have said it was me before calling.’

‘It’s me, Benjamin.’

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